New
Look
We started August with new looks… all around. Mr E struggled a bit with Krystal but in the
end was happy to sit still with the mini-clippers. Go figure!
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| A little more off the sides, Krystal! |
Even I got my annual haircut… I know, terrible
aren’t I? It’s a new look for me and
well, I am still not too sure about it despite the compliments.
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| My 1st selfie |
Balmoral
Beach
We had a glorious and sunny July, the warmest on
record, and August was similar. The
first weekend of August was warm enough us to hit the beach. We definitely stayed dry though!
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| Chasing birds |
We also had a few park days including a Playgroup one! It was so good to spend some time with my mama's but we definitely missed the 4 C's.
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| E's and Miss C |
Cherry
Blossom Festival
One day I was driving and saw a few cherry blossoms
in bloom. I remembered how beautiful
they were in Washington, DC and looked to see if there were any in the Sydney area,
to find Auburn Botanical Gardens. Who
knew? We had a nice afternoon walking
around the gardens and watching the animals in the fauna. Eden loved the emus. And Eloise loved the few mama roo’s.
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| Hello Spring! |
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| Enjoying the shade of the cherry blossoms |
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| Mama 'roo, joey and a peacock too. |
Late in the afternoon while we were enjoying our
takoyaki and ice cream, a loud gaggle came through the gardens.
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| We all scream for ice cream! |
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| Where is this gaggle going? |
Not-so-
Fabulous Four and Terrible Two
With some not-so-fabulous 4 behaviour
ever-so-present (Mr H got his first “I hate you, daddy!”), we re-started Eloise
in taekwondo. She loved it at Gold Medal
in Burlingame and it did wonders for her coordination and listening. It was also something that I had meant to
continue here but life got in the way.
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| Hi-YA! |
She is now an Iron Tiger and loves Mondays. She tries very hard during her class... but unfortunately
she got my lack of coordination. We are already seeing vast improvement from week 1. Yay!
We are very proud of our little fish. She has moved up to Level 3 in swimming. Just keep swimming Eloise!
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| Level 2 graduate |
Unfortunately after a few very windy days in Sydney,
Eloise had a case of chapped lips that turned into impetigo (school
sores). Of course it was when I was
holed up in a hotel on a course but in a way it was a good thing. I usually have no issue with icky stuff
(hello, my past life with NCIS) but school sores are gross… and so contagious
(we had to wash everything she came in contact with which meant at least 2
loads of laundry a day!) Miss E spent 5
days in quarantine and the poor thing was going stir-crazy. The good news is that after 5 days of
antibiotics, antiseptic washes and quarantine, she is back at school. Coincidentally, during this time Eden also
entered quarantine due to conjunctivitis.
Our house was fun (insert eye-roll emoji)
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| Playing hide-and-seek with his sister (Shh! She's in the cupboard!) |
Mr 2 continues to “assert his independence” over
bath time, wearing shoes, wearing a jacket (it’s still cold in the mornings!),
putting on pants, getting into the car, and so on. He is now on 2 minute time outs, usually due
to throwing some hard plastic toy (one of the negatives of having excellent aim
is that if he throws a toy, it usually hits us square on the forehead). In most cases, the threat is a big enough
deterrent.
Our favourite part of this age is his increasing
vocabulary. On weekend mornings, we wake
up to “Mama? Mama? Mama?
Come get me please!” or more recently, “Listen me!” You can see him
working out what to say and in what order.
He goes from “Sabi see me” to “Sabi look me” then “Sabi looking at
me”. He is very polite and always says
his “please and thank you”. When he asks
for something, he also asks demands the same for Eloise even though she
doesn’t want it. Always looking out for
his big sis!
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| Taken during quarantine |
I love moments like these when they get along so
well. All it takes is a bit of teamwork!
MissE
Says the Darnedest Things
At taekwondo, her belt came undone. A very nice little boy helped her re-tie
it. After class, she said: Mama, I think
I made a friend. He was so nice to help
me tie my belt.
Me: He was.
MissE: I think I almost fell in love.
Eden plays rough.
He’s a boy. But as he is tackling you to the ground or sitting on your
head, he screams “GET OFF!” and “PLAY NICE”.
Eloise snatched a toy off Eden.
Eden: Jie-jie, time out! Now!
Cookie
Monster
With Eden it’s a mixed bag. You can ask him what he wants for breakfast
and sometimes its toast and Nutrigrain.
Other times its mashed potatoes. We went through a few weeks of him
requesting mashed potatoes at every meal.
Now, it’s cookies.
Me: Eden and Eloise, daddy is home.
Eden: Daddy! (Runs up to daddy who is holding the
mail and grabs that hand)
Eden: Cookie?
For Eden? Cookie? Want cookie.
Me
9-5
I went to a Mad Hatters Tea Party (Sydney Events
Showcase) with these guys:
I also found the coolest women’s restroom I have
ever seen!
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| Devil Wears Prada above the sinks |
And sadly, I had yet another goodbye. We had a co-worker from Memphis, Tennessee
with us for 3 (too short) months. We couldn’t send her back to America without
this winter’s most sought after item, the onesie. I hope our paths cross again... especially at a karaoke bar!
The Color
Run (or The Happiest 5k on the Planet)
What fun I had!
And even better, I got to spend a Sunday morning with 2 lovely ladies
that I hadn’t seen for some time. You
could have basically called us Team Contiki because that was the common
denominator.
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| Before |
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| At the Start Line |
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| Yellow zone (during) |
I have to say that the best part was the Color
Party to celebrate the finish.
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| The Color Party |
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| Aftermath |
I am looking forward to reuniting with our team at the Neon Run in a few months. Otherwise, open water season is upon us and I have
logged very few k’s in the pool to date.
I better start getting my feet wet again!
Until next time…
